Device for attracting attention to billboards



Dec. 5, 1950 R. G. REEVES 2,532,572

DEVICE FOR ATTRACTTNG ATTENTION To BTLLBOARDS Filed Sept. 19, 1947 5Sheets-Sheet l MWCEWTM ,PC2-f Dec. 5, 1950 R. G. REEVES 2,532,572

DEVICE FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION TO BILLBOARDS Filed Sept. 19, 194'? 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 5, 1950 R. G. REEVES 2,532,572

DEVICE FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION TO BILLBOARDS Filed spt. 19, 1947 ssheets-sheet s '.Fqoo

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Patented Dec. 5, 1950 'DEVICE' ER`ATTRACTING ATTENTLONTO yBIiLBiOARlSsReuberieG-rReeves;Camden, lN.. il.

Application September 19,1947; Serial Nol774g935 reclaim.

'The subject-matten or this application relates `to advertising-signboards-f the classidesignated as bill boards. Genera-llystated, my`'invention has 4'for'its object to1provide"meansrramovable naturedesigned to attract the attention of passers-by andmore specifically .toan arrangement of parts mounted in conjunction with a .'fhighway signlwhich'iscaused to revclveby a current of air.

Anotherrobject yfof -my-v invention -risV the provisionof a rotatableframework, which may be mounted atop a signboard located in.` an open.space Asuchyas'the country .'side, and carries a seriesnfV silhouettesofthe-hulls. of. boats equipped withsails which act' to impel"thefr-amework and by movement of the latter and the fluttering of thesails will attract attention in their` direction and consequently add anadvertisingvalue to the sign on which the apparatus is mounted.

A still further object of my invention is to construct an advertisingdevice of the above character in such a manner that the parts thereofmay be assembled in the rst instance in a knockdown condition forshipment and subsequently readily set up in the field Without the use ofspecial tools.

To these and other ends my invention consists of further improvementsall of which will be fully described in the following specification, thenovel features thereof being set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a highway sign showing a visualattracting device embodying mv invention applied thereto.

.Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof.

Figure 3 is a detail View of ship silhouette.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view showing the center post, its bearingand the struts and suspenders connected to said post.

Figure 5 is a horizontal detail plan View of the central strut plate asseen on section-line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a detail view showing the outer end of one of the struts andthe manner of connecting the shin silhouette thereto, and,

Figure 7 is a horizontal plan view of the suspender connecting plate asthe same appears when viewed on the section line 1-1 of 4,

Similar reference characters in the several iigures indicate similarparts.

In illustrating rnv invention I have shown the device for attractingattention in cnnnection with a signboard l!) of suitable dimensionsmounted on a framework for installation and 12 iruse in open-spaces,such-as a:l field along lalhighway. *The supporting VframeworkVrdcomprises similar front-sand rear'sections eachhavingfdiagonallyidisposed legportions Il and l2"connecte yat`- theirvupper Yends*byhorizontal top *portions i t3, fifi. .The-- two Asets 'of"legs `are anchoredrattheir *lower-'ends in' concrete )blocks lla-l2Evand are inclined toward-'each' at their upper endswhere L'they'are`connectedby cross bars (5,15. The signboardd lfissupported 'oiry thei`frame at a' suitable elevation by connecting itsilower` edge toa Apairoftheframe legsandlgbecause ofitheirangu- `lar dispositionlsecure''itsupperpe'dge by apair of arms Ita projecting Aoutwardlyfrom the.topof the frame. If 'desired'the ends of the cross bars IS-Ii may beextended for this purpose. Thus it will be seen that above the top ofthe signboard there is a rectangular area which may be utilized as aplatform which I make in skeleton form by extending thereacross tworails I'|-|8. The base for the latter comprises a plate I9 bolted tosaid rails carrying a hub 2B in which a vertical shaft 2| is stepped andsupported for free rotational movement in the hub. Anti-frictionbearings are provided for the post by seating its lowerend on a ballrace 22 and guiding a more elevated point thereon in a similar butlarger bearing 23 fitted in a recess 26a at the top of the hub, as shownin Fig. 4.

On the shaft 2l, immediately above its upper bearing 23, is a circularplate 24 having radial projections 25 which are rectangular in crosssection. There are six of these projections each of which carries theinner end of a strut 26 formed of pipe which is swaged on two sides tofit over the projection as indicated at 21. This method of connectingthe parts is a simple means of preventing the struts from turning. Atthe upper end of the shaft is a circular plate 28 having a centralaperture tting a reduced portion at the top of the shaft to which it issecured by a nut 29. In this plate are a series of peripheral apertureswhich receive the hooked or fingered ends 3!) of a series of suspenderrods 3l, of which there is one corresponding to each of the struts 26and to which they are respectively connected near the outer ends of thestruts by passing the hooked ends 32 of each suspender through an eyebolt 33.

Extending transversely of the outer ends of the struts and boltedthereto are rectangular plates 34 provided with apertures at theirextremities into which are hooked the bent ends of tie rods 35. In oneof the latter I place a turn-buckle 35EL which when drawn up rendersrigid the framework composed of the several struts 26 and the centralplate 24.

On the outer end of each strut 26 I mount a vertical plate 36 having thegeneral outline of the hull of a sailing vessel, which in the presentinstance is shown as a cat boat. The plate is xed rigidly by providingon its lower edge a flange 3'! which extends inwardly over the plate 34and together therewith is secured to the strut by two bolts 38, 39. Itwill be noted that the flange 31 is larger than the underlying plate 34and extends over the contiguous ends of two of the tie rods 35. Thisprevents displacement of the rods and the bearing of the extremities ofthe ilange 3l thereon serves to prevent tilting of the silhouette platesin relation to the horizontal plane in which they rotate.

Each silhouette plate carries at its forward end a mast 46 on which isrigged a main sail 4I having a boom 42. The latter is free to swing alimited distance on its pivoted point on the mast and in lieu of theusual sheet rope I employ a swivel link connection 43 between the sternof the ship and the rear end of the boom which permits the latter toswing from one side of the mast to the other as the turntable, on whichthe several dummy ships are mounted, revolves. Only a slight windpressure on one or more of the sails is required to rotate theturntable, the speed of which varies with such pressure causing thecontinuous movement of the apparatus to attract the attention of personswho may be travelling within view of the sign I6 on which the apparatusis mounted.

I claim:

An attachment for bill boards comprising a base plate adapted to besecured to a bill board, a vertically extending hub xed to said plateand having an axial bore therein, the upper surface of the hub having acylindrical recess therein, a vertical post having its lower endjournaled in the hub bore, ball bearing means resting on said plate andcontacting the end of the post for sustaining said post, a collar on thepost and tting within said hub recess, anti-friction bearings withinsaid recess contacting said collar to laterally support the post, aplate mounted on the post above the hub having radial projectionsrectangular in cross section, radially extending tubular struts havingtheir inner ends swaged to embrace said projection, a collar attached tothe upper end of the post having a plurality of vertical aperturestherein, radially extending suspension members corresponding in numberwith the struts and having hooked inner ends adapted to t in saidvertical apertures, said members having hooked outer ends for detachablyconnecting the members to said struts.

REUBEN G. REEVES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent: l

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 463,568 Zuberbuhler Nov. 17, 1891772,768 Winchel Oct. 18, 1904 822,677 Loiseleur June 5, 1906

